Page 75 of The Dollmaker

“Diane Richardson.”

“Diane Emery then, but it looks like her. And the woman to her right is Elena Hayes.”

“Who I haven’t been able to speak directly to on the phone,” Vargas said. “She responded to my voice mail with a text, but she’s yet to call me back.” Vargas tapped Tessa’s face. “And the other woman is Tessa McGowan?”

“Yes.”

Vargas shook her head as she dropped her gaze back to the picture. “Ah, Tessa. The wife. Hence the flower discussion?”

“No.”

She laughed. “So you think Tessa might have had a grudge against these ladies?”

“What? No. That’s not what I’m saying at all.”

Vargas didn’t look convinced. “She knew the two victims. When’s the last time Tessa saw your sister?”

She was analyzing the case as he would have if he were on the outside. But he wasn’t on the outside. Sharp was dialed in completely. “The night Kara vanished. She tells me the two fought. Over Madison.”

“This Madison?” she said jabbing her thumb back at his building.

“Yes.”

“Was it some kind of love triangle? Do I smell motive?”

“No. You do not.” He ground out each word.

“Hey man, don’t shoot the messenger. I have to look at this from all angles.”

“Understood,” he said, cooling his anger. “A car hit Tessa shortly after she left that Halloween party. Her leg was badly broken, and she suffered a concussion. She was in the hospital for days. She couldn’t have hurt anyone.”

“Maybe she was hit after she stashed Kara?” Vargas said. “Maybe her thoughts were distracted by a terrible secret and she didn’t see the car.”

“You’re stretching a lot.”

Vargas shrugged. “Tessa could have been working with someone else, like Stanford.”

“No.”

“All I know is Tessa was around when your sister vanished, and now Tessa shows back up and Diane Richardson is found dead. And let’s not forget, whoever held Diane knew how to use an IV, like a trained doctor would.”

“NotTessa.”

“You rise to her defense too quickly.” Vargas slid off her latex gloves. “You still love Tessa, don’t you?”

“That’s not relevant.”

“It is, if it clouds your judgment.”

“My judgment is crystal clear.”

“You’ve got a reputation for laser focus. But I bet this is the first time your ex has been involved in a case. Or your deceased sister has been mentioned in connection to a case.”

“You’re missing the point.” He tapped the image with his index finger. “Look at what the girls in the photo are wearing. They were headed to a Halloween party, and three were dressed as dolls.”

Vargas studied the picture again. “So you think whoever took your sister overdosed her, and is now back and killed Diane, one of the girls in this picture.”

“I do. Tessa also spoke to her cousin, who was at Kara’s funeral. According to the cousin, Elena was the one that found Kara, and Kara had a lot of makeup on her face.”

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